Insulation materials producer Austrotherm (Waldegg / Austria; www.austrotherm.at) is investing EUR 7m in a new production line for water- and pressure-resistant XPS insulation materials at its site in Wittenberge / Germany. The capacity expansion will create 10 new jobs, lifting the site’s overall workforce to 61. The added output is due to come on stream in Q3 2017.

The company said the decision is rooted in Germany’s Energy Savings Ordinance as well as its integrated energy and climate programme, as a result of which demand for XPS insulation materials in the country has increased dramatically. Thermic insulation holds a lot of potential, Austrotherm added. Alexander Sinne, sales manager at Austrotherm Dämmstoffe, said that the company has seen strong demand for its portfolio since the Wittenberge plant first began operations in late 2013. “The steady rise in exports to Poland, Scandinavia and the Benelux region have made it easier for us to decide on this capacity expansion, which comes earlier than initially expected,” he added. At the same time, the investment will allow the company to enter new industry branches and launch new products.

Austrotherm invested EUR 600,000 in a new storage hall in Wittenberge last year. The company, whose portfolio includes insulation and sanitary panels as well as façade profiles, expects its 2016 sales to exceeded EUR 300m. Austrotherm’s 950 employees are spread across 19 production sites in Austria, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Turkey.